Category Archives: Talk radio

One day last week, I received my Social Security Statement. It seems to come every year right around W-2 time. I looked at it and checked it for accuracy. I also realized that I will not see most of the monies that I have paid into the system since 1987.

Recently, on my limited listening of talk-radio, I kept hearing over and over again how Social Security will pay out more than it takes in now that the Baby Boomer generation is now in the retirement phase of their lives. I noticed something that I had seen before on the statement but had not thought about much because it did not apply to me. I have never made over $106,800. In fact, I have never made over $40k in my lifetime!

You currently pay 6.2 percent of your salary, up $106,800, in Social Security taxes and 1.45 percent in Medicare taxes on your entire salary. Your employer also pays 6.2 percent in Social Security taxes and 1.45 percent in Medicare taxes for you. If you are self-employed, you pay the combined employee and employer amount of 12.4 percent on Social Security taxes and 2.9 percent in Medicare taxes on your net earnings.

I have been self-employed for a short time in my life and have paid the 15.3 % in Social Security and Medicare taxes. I am now currently an employee and pay the 7.65% for Social Security and Medicare. What has always stumped me is why the government stops taking the 6.2% once someone makes over $106,800?

I am a conservative. I am not a big fan of Social Security, but we have no choice. We cannot choose to not pay into the system, so unless something changes, we are stuck with this broken system.

My solution may be simple and unorthodox and it may get some conservatives angry, but I still think it is a possible solution.

Why not remove the $106,800 threshold for Social Security and continue to tax Social Security at 6.2% on all earnings like Medicare? I can hear the conservatives screaming right now and calling me a liberal, socialist, etc. I have not finished with my suggestion. Along with the removal of the threshold, then increase the payment amount based on what the individual pays in (like they do now). Think of all the revenue that is missing from $106,801 on up.

If we are stuck with the system, then why not attempt to fix it by finding ways to make it work. Otherwise, why not shut it down completely and make people provide for their own retirement (a better idea) than government sponsored retirement.

Well, I knew something was going to happen… Looks like KTLK has parted ways with Dan Conry. Go to their website and you will notice that his bio is gone. I knew that this was going to happen when they moved Dan from 9-11 to 5-7 am. I listened via the podcast and felt that Dan was doing a great job in spite of the awful time-slot that they put him in. I feel bad for him because he just bought a house and is engaged to married soon. What an awful time to have something like this happen!

What else do you expect from Clear Channel? They have a long and distinguished history of making really bad personnel moves that alienate their listeners. In radio, the more listeners you have, the better things are! In Clear Channel’s case with KTLK, they seem to be going in reverse. Maybe when the last remaining advertisers pull their slots, then maybe they will wake up and realize that they cannot reverse the inevitable collision course that they are on.

See my earlier post on this subject. I predicted this back in February only I wish it had not come true

This has been an interesting week. First, Mitt Romney decides to drop out of the Presidential race, after winning Minnesota! Second, on a more local note, the talk radio station that I like to listen to (KTLK-FM) has now made another programming change, again another bad decision. They have moved Dan Conry who is one of their best hosts and had a good gig going from 9-11AM, they have now moved him to 5-7 AM. No one that is in that time slot here has ever survived, they have all been fired. So is Clear Channel setting Dan Conry up for failure? I think so. They want listeners, but they are making dumb decisions that will ultimately drive listeners away. And now they bring in some unknown from Houston,TX that had been fired from his previous radio station, roll out the proverbial red carpet and give him from 7-11 am! This is unbelieveable!

Dan Conry along with Jason Lewis have done their best to get conservatives involved in the process in spite of being in a highly liberal area. They are not afraid to call out the Republican establishment when they are wrong.

Regarding the Presidential race, I am still not sure if I can vote for John McCain, since it is painfully clear that he is far from conservative!

Most people who know me will testify to the fact that I enjoy talk radio. I listen to the morning show here in Minneapolis on KTLK 100.3 FM on my way to work to hear weather, traffic, and whatever else they are talking about. Sometimes it is interesting, other times not so interesting. I work while Rush and Sean Hannity are on, so I do not get to hear them. While on the way home, I listen to Jason Lewis, who is a conservative local talk show host also on KTLK 100.3 FM

As much as I enjoy talk radio, I have to ask the hard question, especially in light of recent discussions regarding the fairness doctrine (which I oppose) and other people saying that talk radio should be done away with. Is talk radio really part of the problems that they talk about or do they provide a solution?

I would be interested to hear your comments and then I will post some more on this subject.